Purchased a new Ruger Hawkeye in .375 Ruger. Did a basic inspection and cleaned the bore and action first. Fired 16 Rounds (Hornady factory ammo 270 grains) at 50 yards. Accuracy was very good (3" groups), firing open sights, cracked stock after 14th round. Fired two more rounds and the bullets were not even hitting a target at 25 yds. I plan on having the stock replaced, this rifle should really be 9-10 lbs, glass bedded and dual crossbolts. In its factory configuration its too light, it kicks more than a 375 H&H firing 300 grains. I would have been happy to have paid an extra $300 for Ruger to have made it heavier and sturdier. Just an amateur's opinion.

Good luck and keep us posted about how Ruger deals with this issue.

I would love to see a kevlar or carbon fiber stock for the 375 Ruger.

I am not a fan of the rubber overmold.

What is up with you man?

Haven't you read the Canadian's glowing reports of the most perfect blend of cartridge and rifle designs in the last 96 years?
Don't you know that the 375R and Hawkeye are without flaw or blemish? They are above criticism from us 'tards south of the border.



Just kidding, but this is not supposed to happen; must be that tremendous velocity and the easy packing rifle it's chambered in.
Where are the defenders of the 375R...?

Rich
DRSS
Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost...

I actually do like the caliber, I am taking a chronograph the next time I go as well. It was very accurate but too light, my shoulder (and stock) took a beating. The rifle must be simply improved upon.

I sure will provide them with feedback, but will have someone refit it with a heavier stock and the extras, i plan on keeping it.

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
Good luck and keep us posted about how Ruger deals with this issue.

I would love to see a kevlar or carbon fiber stock for the 375 Ruger.

I am not a fan of the rubber overmold.

The wood stock cracking is not an isolated event...Even Brian Pierce while reviewing the rifle commented on his cracking.

Kevlar or CF Please!

I hope an aftermarket manufacturer is reading this.

PS if the 375 ruger was 9,3 or 416 we would not have so much controversy.

Do you think an action this small can handle two crossbolts?

Rip would probably have the best answer for that question.

From various comments about stock cracking on the forum, should it not be standard practice to have any gun chambered in .375 and above , glass bedded ?Before it cracks ! That the factory should do it is another question.

off-hand.

These are the wood models and not the one with the Houge stock, right?

quote:

Originally posted by xm15e2m4:
These are the wood models and not the one with the Houge stock, right?

Actually there was a recall on the Hogue stocked versions. Broke at the pistol grip IIRC.

I am finding this difficult to believe...Ruger comes out with the .375 to end all .375's, and they can't build or buy a stock that will hold it. Sounds like the proving tests leave a little bit to be desired.

I'll stick with Winchester. 1200 rounds of max loads w/ 300 grain bullets and my .375 H&H still shoots MOA. Nary a crack, either. Oh, well...I wasn't going to jump on that Ruger bandwagon, anyway.

I was going to stop at the gun shop tommarow and pick up a 375 ruger in wood with my tax return, well geuss i will hold out for a Stanless synthetic...or are they having problems with them TOO ?????

When I spoke with the Ruger Rep (The one that was on an African Buffalo hunt and fell and broke his nose) I asked about the broken stocks and he suggested it was one before they started putting cross bolts. I don't know if he was just blowing smoke or not.

...........,.,.,,.,I know lots will disagree with me , but I will have an under barrel recoil lug instaled on mine and an epoxied in all thread in the web in front of the trigger....It won,t bother real world accuracy ,.,but it will keep the stock from splitting ................Just a quick dovetail and a peice of steel fitted in tight.........Lastly I,ll have a muzzel brake installed .,.,.,I can break stocks fast enough just from haveing them with me , I don,t want one to break because it can,t take some sustained gun fire ...

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
PS if the 375 ruger was 9.3 we would not have so much controversy.

Yeh, yeh, yeh. It's the Switzerland of effective Safari medicine.

Well, mine came with one. I do like gumboot458's suggestion, 'cept for the muzzle brake.

quote:

Originally posted by army aviator:
When I spoke with the Ruger Rep (The one that was on an African Buffalo hunt and fell and broke his nose) I asked about the broken stocks and he suggested it was one before they started putting cross bolts. I don't know if he was just blowing smoke or not.

Correct.

quote:

Originally posted by xm15e2m4:
These are the wood models and not the one with the Houge stock, right?

According to Ruger they sold over 8000 375 Ruger Hawkeye rifles last year and this years looks even better. (I wonder how many H&H sold their first year? Or the first 95 years for that matter ?)
With that number sold there are bound to be a few broken stocks. The one I received has over a hundred full power loads through it with no problems however I do think wooden handles on rifles with that much recoil should be glass bedded and it's no problem to do on Rugers.


after a year of using both models of the 375 Ruger I will have a feature coming out soon in Rifle magazine but in a nut shell will say that in my opinion it is one of,if not the, best big bore rifles introduced since 1937 when Win began chambering the M-70 in 375 H&H.
I spent a lot of time this year at the SHOT, SCI and Gunmakers Guild shows talking with most of our best custom builders and vast majority of them feel the same way. For the money the new Ruger 375 is the best big bore rifle currently avaliable. You can spend a lot more on some high dollar, big name "custom" rifles and get less.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
,,,in my opinion it is one of,if not the, best big bore rifles introduced since 1937 when Win began chambering the M-70 in 375 H&H.

I've had mine about near as long and agree 100%. One heluva rifle/cartridge out of the box!

GVA

Mine is the syn-stocked Alaskan and has had no problems after 120 or so rounds. I definitely disagree that the rifle is too light. I probably wouldn't have purchased it if it were a couple of pounds heavier. You carry a hunting rifle a lot more than you shoot it. The pad on the syn stock is much better than the one on the wood-stocked African.

Just maybe those Brits knew what they where doing with the 375 H&H instead of a short fat round.

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:

...... PS if the 375 ruger was 9,3 or 416 we would not have so much controversy.

That is ABSOLUTELY true

quote:

Originally posted by eurocentric:
.... Fired 16 Rounds (Hornady factory ammo 270 grains) at 50 yards. Accuracy was very good (3" groups)

I'll admit that I'm fairly new at all this but 3" at 50 yards sounds a little, well..., ragged . I know we don't need sub MOA groups for hunting but still...! Am I the only one that thinks this is mediocre accuracy from the gun or the ammo or both?

I know it is presently frowned upon to say anything negative about the .375Ruger, and really I have not, but does anyone else think that maybe "the emperor is wearing no clothes"? Err... was that the .325 WSM, or the Ultra mag, or the SAUM, or the WSSM?

And .458Win, the best big bore in the last 70 years? Yikes! I know that you are much more capable of making a judgement like that than I am, but wow, that seems just a bit grandiose!

I know, everyone is entitled to buy and shoot whichever they like, and I wish them well. For myself however, after finding the .458 WinMag I'm not sure I'll ever need anything else, except my .22-250's for varmints, a decent .22, and a 12ga Benelli.

Hunt On

Les

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:


I'll stick with Winchester. 1200 rounds of max loads w/ 300 grain bullets and my .375 H&H still shoots MOA. Nary a crack, either. Oh, well...I wasn't going to jump on that Ruger bandwagon, anyway.

yep, me too.

I would certainly not find 3" groups at 50 yards acceptable,not even for my big bore doubles.

465H&H

.......
.........He was shooting off hand with express sights when his stock broke ...Can you do that with a new 375 ???

My two Hawkeye Africans would shoot 3" at 100 yards with the open sights and my poor eyes. They put factory 270s into 1" all day long when properly scoped, and I ran 240 rounds through the first one with no stock problems; I just torqued the screws to specs. The trigger went to a crisp 3 3/4 pounds at around 120 rounds and stabilized there.

As for recoil, don't "wimp out". You get a thump with lighter, trimmer rifles. If you want one to keep you company at a shooting bench, get a varmint rifle in a tiny-tube caliber. I carry mine much more than I "plink" with it, and don't even feel a thing when taking a hunting shot.

I was sad to see them go, but there were demands that dictated their sale. I'll get another in the not too distant future.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
According to Ruger they sold over 8000 375 Ruger Hawkeye rifles last year and this years looks even better. (I wonder how many H&H sold their first year? Or the first 95 years for that matter ?)
With that number sold there are bound to be a few broken stocks. The one I received has over a hundred full power loads through it with no problems however I do think wooden handles on rifles with that much recoil should be glass bedded and it's no problem to do on Rugers.


after a year of using both models of the 375 Ruger I will have a feature coming out soon in Rifle magazine but in a nut shell will say that in my opinion it is one of,if not the, best big bore rifles introduced since 1937 when Win began chambering the M-70 in 375 H&H.
I spent a lot of time this year at the SHOT, SCI and Gunmakers Guild shows talking with most of our best custom builders and vast majority of them feel the same way. For the money the new Ruger 375 is the best big bore rifle currently avaliable. You can spend a lot more on some high dollar, big name "custom" rifles and get less.

Looking forward to the article. Good stuff sells itself.

All rounds fired within 75 minutes, standing, I think 3" is acceptable for me anyways, I do like the caliber very much and I am handloading for it, I will restock it in a heavier configuration. If I had scope it would probably fire 1" or so, so I have no real complains, except for the poor wood. I am also getting the new Kimber Caprivi as well. Cheers

quote:

Originally posted by gumboot458:
.......
.........He was shooting off hand with express sights when his stock broke ...Can you do that with a new 375 ???

quote:

Originally posted by LHowell:
I'll admit that I'm fairly new at all this but 3" at 50 yards sounds a little, well..., ragged .
Les

most people can't hit 8" at 50 yards, off hand, and 3", well, that falls into fairly decent shooting, and 1" at 50 is amazing, for 16 shots.


for .375 and larger actual factual bigbores (bp rounds don't bother)
anyone (other than mike jines) who would like to take the jeffe offhand challenge? it works this way .. you bring 20 rounds of ammo, and 20 20 dollar bills ... i bring 20 10 dollar bills ..

you fire 20 shots, off hand, no rest, no sticks, no nuttin, in an hour at 50 yards ...

every shot in a 3" circle at 50, i give you a 10 ... every shot outside you give me a 20 ...

why 10 frm me and 20 from you? you are the one stating you can shoot that good, and am certain that you'll get a couple in 3"

oh, yeah, the deal is for 20 rounds .. fired or not, so if you "give up" just had the rest over, as they aint in the 3" group...

Mike jines, Richard H, and perhaps ONE other person i have hunted with could beat me on this ... i doubt there's 1% of the guys that shoot bigbores that could

no, i won't reverse the challenge, as i shoot offhand alot and know my limits..

oh, and if you have a "sub moa rifle" and its a bigbore, we might can work out a simular concept for 20 rounds into the same submoa group... off the bench at 50 yards

OK, OK,!!! I give Jeffe!

I'll admit that I missed the "offhand" part of the statement .

And I'm sure that I would not come out ahead of you in your challenge!

Forgive me! I promise never to post again after drinking bourbon!

Les

Hey Les...
a friend of mine calls that hydraluic posting! LOL
\
I didn't mean to come over a s a jerk, that's for sure.. Les, you seem to be a very well balanced guy, so this next part is meant in humor

So, this is aimed at the guys that want to take me up on this (no Rob, No Mike)
its just fun to win a couple bucks when his ego is bigger than his good sense..

What? no MOA shooters want to take me up on 20 rounds, off the bench, into a 1/2" group at 50? that's bench and sandbags, youc an even use a front rest.. no recoil sheilds or lead sleds or other recoil reducers .. just you, the rifle, etc...

I know *I* can NOT put 16 rounds into 3" off hand at 50, or 20 from a submoa rifle, in a hour, into a 1/2" net group... can i do 3 to 5? without a doubt... but somewhere before shot 10 I will make a bad flier, then try too hard, and the wheels just come off

jeffe

quote:

Originally posted by 465H&H:
I would certainly not find 3" groups at 50 yards acceptable,not even for my big bore doubles.

465H&H

I too missed the off hand post. My appologies. 3" at 50 yards is excellent shooting.

465H&H

I certainly dont consider myself a crack shot but I have been shooting rimefires and small caliber centerfires with open sights all my life, squirrels, crows, raccoons, etc, I am frankly more comfortable with open sights than with scopes. I think rifle/ammo combo is very accurate in my estimation, especially for its price.

quote:

Originally posted by 465H&H:

quote:

Originally posted by 465H&H:
I would certainly not find 3" groups at 50 yards acceptable,not even for my big bore doubles.

465H&H

I too missed the off hand post. My appologies. 3" at 50 yards is excellent shooting.

465H&H

Yes it is. I regularly shoot my .375 at 50, striving to group within 6". Out of a thirty round expenditure, I can usually get 90% within that limit, but that's not 100%. That's using a scope set on 4 power. I practice at least once and more usually, twice a week. 3" at fifty with irons offhand is very good shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
Hey Les...
a friend of mine calls that hydraluic posting! LOL
\
I didn't mean to come over a s a jerk, that's for sure.. Les, you seem to be a very well balanced guy, so this next part is meant in humor

So, this is aimed at the guys that want to take me up on this (no Rob, No Mike)
its just fun to win a couple bucks when his ego is bigger than his good sense..

What? no MOA shooters want to take me up on 20 rounds, off the bench, into a 1/2" group at 50? that's bench and sandbags, youc an even use a front rest.. no recoil sheilds or lead sleds or other recoil reducers .. just you, the rifle, etc...

I know *I* can NOT put 16 rounds into 3" off hand at 50, or 20 from a submoa rifle, in a hour, into a 1/2" net group... can i do 3 to 5? without a doubt... but somewhere before shot 10 I will make a bad flier, then try too hard, and the wheels just come off

jeffe

I bet you I can put 2 of those 16 rounds into a 3" group @ 50 yards! C'mon law of averages, don't fail me now!

quote:

Originally posted by eurocentric:
Purchased a new Ruger Hawkeye in .375 Ruger. Did a basic inspection and cleaned the bore and action first. Fired 16 Rounds (Hornady factory ammo 270 grains) at 50 yards. Accuracy was very good (3" groups), firing open sights, cracked stock after 14th round. Fired two more rounds and the bullets were not even hitting a target at 25 yds. I plan on having the stock replaced, this rifle should really be 9-10 lbs, glass bedded and dual crossbolts. In its factory configuration its too light, it kicks more than a 375 H&H firing 300 grains. I would have been happy to have paid an extra $300 for Ruger to have made it heavier and sturdier. Just an amateur's opinion.

The 'African' is very handy rifle, but:
1. Jucier recoil pad is needed
2. The barrel on two I examined was not centered in the stock.
3. The best quoted price was $869
For just over $500 I bought new CZ550 'Medium' (std. action length) FS 9.3x62 with rings.
One can get QUALITY PPU ammo to the door step for $20/box, and nothing needs to be done to the rifle prior to field use.
Oh yes, they load rounds with 286gr oryx slugs 2hrs from my home at $40/20 pack.
The 'African' is nice handling piece, but I just don't want to spend extra time tinkering with it.
PS. Ruger does make heavy .375H&H built on gigantish magnum action and 270gr SP Hornady "Heavy Mag' Interlocks start flight at avg Vo of 2870fps. Me thinks you have purchased wrong Ruger.

I have a .375R Hawkeye African. I only have about 40 rounds through it but I have no cracking. Doesn't mean there will not be any, but we'll see. So far I really like the rifle and round.

I am not saying it will replace anything, and I'm not saying it is better than any other. I have one and I like it. For me there is nothing to argue or defend. I am concerned about the stock though, and I will watch it very carefully.